Recently, this Examiner covered the Martha Stewart premiere launch event for the One Pot cookbook and have enjoyed making and dining the very tasty and very fast and easy to make skillet chicken and potato recipe from the book, riffing on some of the ingredients to match the fresh ingredients and herbs straight from the garden.

Experiment. Or as Martha writes, try “Variations on a theme.”

After all, it’s the “joy of cooking,” this Examiner reminded her mother/sous chef who was instructing to follow the recipe exactly as written!

Try browning the potatoes first, along with the chicken, use homemade (or Panko) breadcrumbs on the chicken and trade out homegrown rosemary for the tarragon.

It is terrific.

Recipes

This Examiner was also able to secure up to three recipes straight from the cookbook. Enjoy cooking up the savory and sweet recipes here.

This one pot culinary style is so addictive, ordering the complete One Pot cookbook is the only logical next step. Save time and order for upcoming holiday and hostess gifts. Start a One Pot cooking club!

This Examiner requested a nice mix of recipes, in terms of ingredients: chicken, beef, and sausage, for example, and cooking methods: skillet, baking sheet, wok, and Dutch oven. And for the Spatchcocked Chicken? Because it’s just so much fun to say! (Spatchcock means to kill and serve a fowl hastily or to prepare in haste for an emergency.) It works – no emergency necessary!

Spatchcocked Chicken with Herbs and Lemon

Active Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Serves: 4 to 6

This funny-sounding technique yields seriously good results. Spatchcocking (flattening) a whole chicken helps it cook evenly— in about 30 minutes! Bread rounds out the meal.

1 whole chicken (3½ to 4 pounds)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1½ teaspoons chunky sea salt, such as Maldon

8 slices rustic bread (from about ½ loaf), ¾ inch thick

1 cup fresh Thai or regular basil leaves

1 cup fresh mint leaves

1 lemon, halved

Preheat oven to 425°F. Place chicken, breast side down, on a work surface. Starting at thigh end, cut along 1 side of backbone with kitchen shears. Turn chicken around, and cut along other side. (Discard or save backbone for stock.) Flip chicken over, and open it like a book; press firmly on breastbone to flatten. Rub with 2 tablespoons butter, and season with salt.

Dividing evenly, spread remaining tablespoon butter on 1 side of bread slices. Place side by side, buttered side up, on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet, and lay chicken on top. Roast until chicken is golden brown and a thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast (do not touch bone) reaches 160°F, 30 to 35 minutes.

You can add paprika and minced garlic with the salt, or use sliced potatoes instead of bread.

Beef-and-Pineapple Red Curry

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Serves 4

Red curry paste, a jarred blend of chiles and other seasonings, is a fantastic ingredient to keep in your pantry. Combined with coconut milk, it makes a quick sauce for a Thai-style curry.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

¼ cup red curry paste

1 pound sirloin steak, trimmed and cut against the grain into very thin strips

½ pound green beans, trimmed and cut in half crosswise

12 ounces pineapple, cut into 1-inch cubes

1½ cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 cup unsweetened coconut milk

½ cup fresh basil leaves, torn

In a large skillet or wok, heat oil over medium-high. Add curry paste and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add steak and cook, stirring, until browned, 2 minutes. Add green beans and pineapple; cook, stirring, until pineapple starts to release juices, 1 minute. Add broth and coconut milk, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook at a rapid simmer until green beans are crisp-tender, 8 minutes. Garnish with basil before serving.

PEELING A PINEAPPLE

To remove the skin from this prickly fruit, slice off the top and bottom. Stand the pineapple on end, and slice off the peel in strips, following the curve of the fruit. Quarter the peeled pineapple. Stand the quarters on end, and slice out the cores. Cut quarters in half lengthwise. Slice into wedges or cubes.

Sweet Dessert

This Examiner selected Rustic Apple Tart dessert to share because it’s seasonal – it’s apple harvest season and the greenmarket tables are loading up with autumn’s treats. Plus it’s delicious. Top off the tart with some great homemade ice cream – the recipe is in the cookbook, as well.

Preheat oven to 375°F. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out folded pastry sheet to an 8-by-14-inch rectangle. Trim edges with a sharp knife. Transfer to a baking sheet; chill in freezer. Peel, core, and slice apples 1/4 inch thick; toss with sugar.

Beat egg yolk; then whisk in the teaspoon of water. Brush pastry with egg wash. Use a sharp paring knife to score a 3/4-inch border around pastry (do not cut all the way through). Arrange apples inside border, and dot with butter. Bake until pastry is golden and apples are tender, 30 to 35 minutes.

Heat jelly with the tablespoon of water until melted. Brush apples with glaze. Let cool 15 minutes. Serve tart warm or at room temperature.